INFORMATION IS AT THE HEART OFGOOD DECISION MAKING.

Real-time data monitoring, logging and analysis can help youmake more informed decisions and reduce costs.

UTONOMY’S GRID MONITORING AND PROFILING provides critical data in real time to help you centrally monitor both station and network condition and performance. As a result, deviations and potential problems can be quickly identified and asset planning optimised.

Annual O&M costs: hundreds of million poundsAnnual savings through early warning and preventative maintenance: double digit million poundsEstimated annual saving from right-sizing of assets: double digit million poundsInvestment in new connections and repairs: hundreds of million poundsTypical asset value in the ground for a large network operator: several billion pounds

NECESSARY MAINTENANCE, UNNECESSARY COSTS

Today, unmanned, remote governor stations must be visited up to twice a year by field technicians to undertake functional and maintenance checks. Equipment is often found to be good on arrival, making the visit unnecessary. On the other hand, the low frequency of visits means that some faults remain undetected for long periods. Either way, unnecessary costs are incurred by the network operator.

OUTSTATION DATA, CENTRALLY MONITORED

With Utonomy grid monitoring, station parameters are monitored and functional checks can be made remotely. Maintenance visits can then be made when really necessary or defined by statutory requirements.

When it comes to the network, existing systems
provide little or no performance data.
Either for operational or planning purposes.

LACK OF DATA LEADS TO EXCESSIVE CAPEX

When installing new infrastructure or upgrading existing networks, a lack of adequate granular historical data over a continuous timeframe means that operators must, to a certain extent, estimate the size of pipes and equipment that will be required. A “tolerance factor” therefore needs to be built in, which results in assets often being sized larger than necessary and incurring unnecessary capital expenditure.

LOW-POINT DATA LOGGERGranular data from station and low-pressure points allow trends across the grid to be monitored and correlated with time and weather data to provide a comprehensive picture of network demand and performance.

NETWORK JUNCTIONDerived from historical data, deviations from the norm can be detected, e.g. water ingress into, or gas leaks from, damaged pipes in a certain area allowing proactive action to be taken.

HISTORICAL DATA OPTIMISES FUTURE PLANNING

Pressure and, in future, flow monitoring information transmitted via remote data loggers connected over a simple mobile phone connection provide real-time data that can be stored and compared with other data such as weather trends for optimum network planning.

INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS IMPROVE PERFORMANCE

Through regular data logging, Utonomy’s intelligent software compares actual parameters with historical data taking demand-influencing parameters such as time of day and day of week data into account. Trend deviations are then used to identify potential operational issues such as water ingress or other safety problems or exception situations such as 3rd party damage or equipment operating outside normal conditions. These can be quickly identified from a central location and necessary action implemented promptly, improving safety and operational efficiency.

Utonomy’s grid monitoring and profiling information systems

can be quickly and simply retrofitted to existing equipment without costly upgrades or downtime. Sensors and data loggers are battery powered and can be topped up by compact solar panels. Data is transmitted via standard mobile phone networks, eliminating the need for costly hardware installation and hard-wired data transmission networks.

Benefits at a glance

Continuous overview of network and station conditions: allows timing and frequency of site visits to be optimised, reducing maintenance costs.

Remote interaction: functional checks can be conducted remotely, potential safety issues can be quickly identified and resolved in a timely manner, thus minimising any negative impact.